Research Question: In what ways do families, teachers, and the community impact a child's education? Author: Melanie Mertens
Blair, S.L. (2014). Parental Involvement and Children’s Educational Performance: A comparison of Filipino and U.S. Parents. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 45(3).
This article concentrates on the social capital theory which focuses on the relationships people have inside and outside of school. Social capital primarily concentrates on the family relationships which give children a sense of identity and the family a common purpose. This concept helps with the development of children and for them to be successful in school. The article also states that parental involvement is better when initiated by the parent. The more interest the parents put into their child’s education, the more improvement they will see. If parents consistently involve themselves in their children’s educations, they will see academic improvements over time.
I think that what I took the most out of this is that because parents play such a large role in their child’s life they should take pride in the education their child is receiving and help them grow and learn to their potential. Family relationships are the strongest and have the greatest influence on children. If the parent shows a child they are important to the world at home, they will go into school with the same conception and want to be the best that they can to continue improving and be successful. Additionally, if involvement in schools is initiated by the parent that shows the child they care and are not being forced to do it by others. When children see initiative in their parents, they will want to reflect that initiative because parents are the role models in a child’s life, so the child will follow their parent’s lead.
Brice, J. (2014, April 8). Department of Education Releases New Parent and Community Engagement Framework [Blog post]. Retrieved from ed.gov/blog/
We currently have ineffective family-school connections, but with capabilities, connections, cognition, and confidence we can create an effective partnership between these two. Capabilities refer to the skills and knowledge of the teachers and families. With increased capabilities, the two will be able to be on the same page of what is going on with the students and each can offer help when it is necessary. Connections are the networks of people that they may access and seek for help when it is necessary this may include guidance counselors, psychologists, and other professionals who can help focus in on different areas of difficulty for the student. The most important part of cognition is just letting the student know that school is important and guiding them in continuing their education as they grow as an individual. Everyone involved in the educational experience must be confident in what they are doing and that it is in the student’s best interest.
This blog was interesting to me because it made me think about parental involvement from a different angle. Rather listing the specific ways that parents can be involved in their child’s learning, such as volunteering in the classroom or helping with homework, it shares general characteristics of a positive educational support system for the child. I think that this gives parents and community members more freedom as to what they can do to help the children by opening up a wider spectrum of ideas and saying “take this how you will and go help in the way you feel is best fitting for you.”
Hofius Hall, S. (2014, August 3). Parental involvement key to student success. The Times Tribune. (Scranton, PA).
Parental involvement has a positive effect on a child’s education. The earlier on parents become involved, the more impact it will have on the child’s learning. Deborah Dunstone, the president of the Pennsylvania parent teacher association, stated “The kids will see the value of school because their parents take interest.” Parent involvement shows students that they care about and support what they are doing in school. Parents should feel welcome in schools and contacting the teachers at them because they are such a big part of their children’s lives. This involvement should continue all the way up through high school so parents know what is going on at their child’s schools. Finally, parents and teachers should work together to reinforce the things learned both at home and school.
Many of these articles discuss how parents need to be more involved and take more interest in their child’s education, but this focuses on how to put those ideas to action. Parents should feel welcome in schools. Just recently I attended a presentation on restraint and seclusion (somewhat unrelated to this topic, anyway) it discussed how many of the parents had no clue what was going on in schools because they were limited to certain visiting times. This should not be the case, parents should feel free to go in and observe what their child is learning and how, so they and the teacher can tag team so if the teacher does not get through to the child during the lesson in school, the parent can work to improve the child’s skills by working with them at home.
Lewis, A.C. (2008). Parents: Time to Get Organized. Phi Delta Kappan. pp 627-628
Parents should be given more say in their child’s education. They should be more involved than just running bake sales and other fundraisers for the school. Communities need more parent-school relationships that foster education in and out of school. In Watsonville, California, parents were able to write goals for their children and give them to the teachers to help the students strive for these goals. Parents should not be working against the curriculum, they need to get involved and become community leaders advocating for a better curriculum. Communities have no idea what is going on in schools. Teachers need to push students to their potentials inside the classrooms, and parents need to provide educational experiences outside of school. Communities need to be healthy and positive environments with opportunities for learning for people of all ages.
I think it is very important that parents show interest in their child’s education. Children look up to their parents, so if they work hard to engage their child and show them that learning is a positive learning experience the student will be more likely to succeed. One part of this article which I found really interesting was that a California school had the parents set goals for their children. I do not entirely agree with this decision because it does not really show any interaction with the children. I think that this is a good strategy to get parents involved, but the goals should be set up in a group setting with the parent(s), child, and teacher so that everyone involved in that particular child’s learning process knows what they are striving to reach as a team. Additionally, the community should have goals for itself on ways to keep education progressing even after the child leaves the classroom. Something I think may help with academic improvement is out of school community run activities, or project days with an educational purpose that relates back to class materials because facing reality, schools cannot afford to send their students on field trips every other day.
Robinson, K., Harris, A.L. (2014, April 12). Parental Involvement is Overrated. New York Times. Retrieved from nytimes.com
Despite the positive correlation researchers have seen between parental involvement and academic success in students, this article contradicts that association. Recently it has been found that intense parental involvement in their child’s education may actually impair the child’s educational abilities. The writer believes that the maximum involvement parents should put into their child’s education is telling them that school is important and that should be enough to support their education. Another tactic they say works is asking the student what they learned in school each day which causes the student to revisit what happened during their school day and have them explain it to their parents.
Looking at the title of this article, “Parental Involvement is Overrated,” I initially thought to myself how can this be true when I have seen so much support for parental involvement? The answer to that question is that parents should be involved in education, but maybe just not as deeply as other sources suggest. The article warns against helping with homework, but I think that this may be just what children need sometime. As a child I would frequently cry and complain that I needed help with my homework and my parents would tell me that I was smart and could do it myself. Okay, so they were right, they would sit down next to me and I would finish my homework without assistance. Even though I never really needed help I think that the educational system leads children to believe they do and we need to work to get this out of their heads. At school your teacher comes around and gives you his or her sole attention primarily when you are having a problem, well this causes children to associate attention with doing poorly and I mean who doesn’t want attention? I think that if parents were to sit down with their students while they complete their homework and ask them questions about what they are learning, the children will be less likely to “cry wolf” about needing help (and this adds a level of comprehension on the student’s part because they have to figure out how to explain things in their own words). Overall, I agree that parents do not have to constantly be at the school volunteering in the classroom, but I think that they should still take an interest in their child’s education to show it is important and keep the child striving to do their best.
Overall Reaction to Your Research
What did your research teach you about your original question? How would you sum up what you've learned?
Overall, my research taught that although it would be nice if parents were more involved more in the education system that is not required for a child to be successful. All it really takes for a child to succeed in school is the initial push from their parents saying "school is good" and the children can be on their way to bigger and better things. The little things like supervising homework and asking questions about school help too, but if parents don't have time for that, showing that they care is just as beneficial. Additionally, I believe that community learning activities would help increase educational experiences outside of the classroom which will enhance lessons and help show connections to the "real world."
How does this research help us identify or refine a strategy to improve schools in Rhode Island?
How does what you learned in your research inform efforts to reform schools in Rhode Island?
As I mentioned before, increased parental involvement is the goal, but nothing really links parental volunteering and homework help to academic achievement. The most beneficial things for a parent to do for their child when it comes to education are 1. to let them know that school is important and they are smart 2. to ask them about their school day, the highs and lows, and listen to them. Really the most important thing when it comes down to it is showing that you care because when someone feels loved, they will want to to do their best to please their loved ones. Whether that means going to school everyday and studying hard, but getting C's, or not having to try and getting A's, the student will put in an effort to learn in order to please their parents and the better they do, the more self confidence they will gain over time.
Author: Melanie Mertens
Blair, S.L. (2014). Parental Involvement and Children’s Educational Performance: A comparison of Filipino and U.S. Parents. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 45(3).
This article concentrates on the social capital theory which focuses on the relationships people have inside and outside of school. Social capital primarily concentrates on the family relationships which give children a sense of identity and the family a common purpose. This concept helps with the development of children and for them to be successful in school. The article also states that parental involvement is better when initiated by the parent. The more interest the parents put into their child’s education, the more improvement they will see. If parents consistently involve themselves in their children’s educations, they will see academic improvements over time.
I think that what I took the most out of this is that because parents play such a large role in their child’s life they should take pride in the education their child is receiving and help them grow and learn to their potential. Family relationships are the strongest and have the greatest influence on children. If the parent shows a child they are important to the world at home, they will go into school with the same conception and want to be the best that they can to continue improving and be successful. Additionally, if involvement in schools is initiated by the parent that shows the child they care and are not being forced to do it by others. When children see initiative in their parents, they will want to reflect that initiative because parents are the role models in a child’s life, so the child will follow their parent’s lead.
Brice, J. (2014, April 8). Department of Education Releases New Parent and Community Engagement Framework [Blog post]. Retrieved from ed.gov/blog/
We currently have ineffective family-school connections, but with capabilities, connections, cognition, and confidence we can create an effective partnership between these two. Capabilities refer to the skills and knowledge of the teachers and families. With increased capabilities, the two will be able to be on the same page of what is going on with the students and each can offer help when it is necessary. Connections are the networks of people that they may access and seek for help when it is necessary this may include guidance counselors, psychologists, and other professionals who can help focus in on different areas of difficulty for the student. The most important part of cognition is just letting the student know that school is important and guiding them in continuing their education as they grow as an individual. Everyone involved in the educational experience must be confident in what they are doing and that it is in the student’s best interest.
This blog was interesting to me because it made me think about parental involvement from a different angle. Rather listing the specific ways that parents can be involved in their child’s learning, such as volunteering in the classroom or helping with homework, it shares general characteristics of a positive educational support system for the child. I think that this gives parents and community members more freedom as to what they can do to help the children by opening up a wider spectrum of ideas and saying “take this how you will and go help in the way you feel is best fitting for you.”
Hofius Hall, S. (2014, August 3). Parental involvement key to student success. The Times Tribune. (Scranton, PA).
Parental involvement has a positive effect on a child’s education. The earlier on parents become involved, the more impact it will have on the child’s learning. Deborah Dunstone, the president of the Pennsylvania parent teacher association, stated “The kids will see the value of school because their parents take interest.” Parent involvement shows students that they care about and support what they are doing in school. Parents should feel welcome in schools and contacting the teachers at them because they are such a big part of their children’s lives. This involvement should continue all the way up through high school so parents know what is going on at their child’s schools. Finally, parents and teachers should work together to reinforce the things learned both at home and school.
Many of these articles discuss how parents need to be more involved and take more interest in their child’s education, but this focuses on how to put those ideas to action. Parents should feel welcome in schools. Just recently I attended a presentation on restraint and seclusion (somewhat unrelated to this topic, anyway) it discussed how many of the parents had no clue what was going on in schools because they were limited to certain visiting times. This should not be the case, parents should feel free to go in and observe what their child is learning and how, so they and the teacher can tag team so if the teacher does not get through to the child during the lesson in school, the parent can work to improve the child’s skills by working with them at home.
Lewis, A.C. (2008). Parents: Time to Get Organized. Phi Delta Kappan. pp 627-628
Parents should be given more say in their child’s education. They should be more involved than just running bake sales and other fundraisers for the school. Communities need more parent-school relationships that foster education in and out of school. In Watsonville, California, parents were able to write goals for their children and give them to the teachers to help the students strive for these goals. Parents should not be working against the curriculum, they need to get involved and become community leaders advocating for a better curriculum. Communities have no idea what is going on in schools. Teachers need to push students to their potentials inside the classrooms, and parents need to provide educational experiences outside of school. Communities need to be healthy and positive environments with opportunities for learning for people of all ages.
I think it is very important that parents show interest in their child’s education. Children look up to their parents, so if they work hard to engage their child and show them that learning is a positive learning experience the student will be more likely to succeed. One part of this article which I found really interesting was that a California school had the parents set goals for their children. I do not entirely agree with this decision because it does not really show any interaction with the children. I think that this is a good strategy to get parents involved, but the goals should be set up in a group setting with the parent(s), child, and teacher so that everyone involved in that particular child’s learning process knows what they are striving to reach as a team. Additionally, the community should have goals for itself on ways to keep education progressing even after the child leaves the classroom. Something I think may help with academic improvement is out of school community run activities, or project days with an educational purpose that relates back to class materials because facing reality, schools cannot afford to send their students on field trips every other day.
Robinson, K., Harris, A.L. (2014, April 12). Parental Involvement is Overrated. New York Times. Retrieved from nytimes.com
Despite the positive correlation researchers have seen between parental involvement and academic success in students, this article contradicts that association. Recently it has been found that intense parental involvement in their child’s education may actually impair the child’s educational abilities. The writer believes that the maximum involvement parents should put into their child’s education is telling them that school is important and that should be enough to support their education. Another tactic they say works is asking the student what they learned in school each day which causes the student to revisit what happened during their school day and have them explain it to their parents.
Looking at the title of this article, “Parental Involvement is Overrated,” I initially thought to myself how can this be true when I have seen so much support for parental involvement? The answer to that question is that parents should be involved in education, but maybe just not as deeply as other sources suggest. The article warns against helping with homework, but I think that this may be just what children need sometime. As a child I would frequently cry and complain that I needed help with my homework and my parents would tell me that I was smart and could do it myself. Okay, so they were right, they would sit down next to me and I would finish my homework without assistance. Even though I never really needed help I think that the educational system leads children to believe they do and we need to work to get this out of their heads. At school your teacher comes around and gives you his or her sole attention primarily when you are having a problem, well this causes children to associate attention with doing poorly and I mean who doesn’t want attention? I think that if parents were to sit down with their students while they complete their homework and ask them questions about what they are learning, the children will be less likely to “cry wolf” about needing help (and this adds a level of comprehension on the student’s part because they have to figure out how to explain things in their own words). Overall, I agree that parents do not have to constantly be at the school volunteering in the classroom, but I think that they should still take an interest in their child’s education to show it is important and keep the child striving to do their best.
Overall Reaction to Your Research
What did your research teach you about your original question? How would you sum up what you've learned?Overall, my research taught that although it would be nice if parents were more involved more in the education system that is not required for a child to be successful. All it really takes for a child to succeed in school is the initial push from their parents saying "school is good" and the children can be on their way to bigger and better things. The little things like supervising homework and asking questions about school help too, but if parents don't have time for that, showing that they care is just as beneficial. Additionally, I believe that community learning activities would help increase educational experiences outside of the classroom which will enhance lessons and help show connections to the "real world."
How does this research help us identify or refine a strategy to improve schools in Rhode Island?
How does what you learned in your research inform efforts to reform schools in Rhode Island?As I mentioned before, increased parental involvement is the goal, but nothing really links parental volunteering and homework help to academic achievement. The most beneficial things for a parent to do for their child when it comes to education are 1. to let them know that school is important and they are smart 2. to ask them about their school day, the highs and lows, and listen to them. Really the most important thing when it comes down to it is showing that you care because when someone feels loved, they will want to to do their best to please their loved ones. Whether that means going to school everyday and studying hard, but getting C's, or not having to try and getting A's, the student will put in an effort to learn in order to please their parents and the better they do, the more self confidence they will gain over time.